Sedation or sleep dentistry is a way to keep you calm and relaxed during dental procedures. This is a moderate level of sedation so you will sill be aware of your surrounding and what is happening. There are many people that experience anxiety when it comes to dental treatments and this is a way of making it easier for them.
There are many people who will benefit from sleep dentistry.
Even children can benefit from it. If you have dental anxiety, this is a perfect way of making your unease go away. And there are some people who have a very sensitive gag reflex or sensitive teeth which can be difficult when you visit the dentist as they need to examine your oral cavity. Some people tend to feel claustrophobic when they are sitting on the dental chair and some will find it difficult to control their movement. And then for special needs individuals, sleep dentistry can help with calming them down and making the experience more pleasant. There are a few different sedation methods used for sleep dentistry and the dentist on St Clair will decide which method is right for you by assessing the length of the procedure, how anxious you are, personal preferences of the patient and their medical history.
The common sleep dentistry methods are conscious sedation
IV sedation or the use of nitrous oxide. Nitrous oxide is also called laughing gas and once you inhale this, it can have a calming effect on you. The effects of this will wear off quickly so you will be able to drive yourself home after this. Oral conscious sedation is when a medication is given to you usually in pill form about an hour before the procedure. The type of medication they give you may vary and you can ask them whether there are any side effects that you may experience after taking the medication. You can actually fall asleep once you get the medication as it tends to make you quite groggy. But you will still be aware of what is going on and you will be able to communicate with the dentist. You will need somebody to drive you home after the procedure as there is a temporary effect when it comes to your memory and motor skills.
IV or intravenous sedation is a very deep form of conscious sedation and the medication will be provided to your body through the bloodstream. Your vitals such as your oxygen levels, heart rate and blood pressure will be constantly monitored during the procedure and this will allow you to fall asleep so you have no memory of the procedure. If you have severe dental anxiety, this will be the method that is used. And this is also used if your procedure is very long. In certain cases, general anaesthesia will be used but this is not a common method that is used. And the dentist will need specialised training to provide this; you will need to have an anaesthesiologist in order to have this type of sedation.
